When a prenatal test revealed Amy Coney Barrett’s youngest son had Down’s Syndrome, there was no question: she would keep the baby.
And when a 14-month-old girl from Haiti, weighing only 11-pounds and likely never to walk or speak normally needed adopting, it was a no-brainer.
You see, for Judge Barrett, the right to life isn’t just a legal opinion, but a lived reality.
A devout Catholic, Barrett is not only known for her firm faith but as a working mom with strong family values.
She and her husband Jesse have seven children, including two adopted children from Haiti.
Her youngest son Benjamin she says, “presents a unique challenge for all of us. But I think all you need to know about Benjamin’s place in the family is summed up by the fact the other children unreservedly identify him as their favorite sibling.”
Now Barrett, 48, will not only become the youngest Supreme Court Justice, but the first with school-aged children.
“We are excited to hear any high-profile figure speaking about the dignity of every human being,” said Katie Glenn with Americans United for Life. “Certainly, Judge Barrett and her husband walk the walk.
“I think it’s a great example, especially when you hear some pro-abortion activists saying that women can’t succeed without abortion or that women with large families can’t succeed. Judge Barrett … is living proof that is not true.”
Not only that, but in a commencement address to graduates of Notre Dame Law School, Barrett made clear that their legal careers should be “a means to an end” specifically towards “building the Kingdom of God.”
Barrett has already been attacked by liberal progressives for her religious beliefs.
During her 2017 confirmation hearing to sit on the 7th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, liberal Sen. Dianne Feinstein immediately challenged Barrett’s faith.
Feinstein, who orchestrated the despicable and notorious character assassination on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, famously told Barrett that “dogma and law are two different things. … And I think in your case, professor, … the dogma lives loudly within you.”
But for conservative Christians, that dogma and Barrett’s devout faith make her the perfect Supreme Court nominee.
Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America told CBN that Barrett is a “woman of faith” who will stand strong in the face of intense and ugly opposition.
“She is a woman who actually believes her faith and that’s why she was attacked when she was being confirmed for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals by Diane Feinstein and the Democrats because, how dare she not only be Catholic but actually believe the tenants of her faith,” Nance said.
Democrats have already pledged to attack Barrett on religious grounds.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated he will “strongly, strongly, strongly oppose” her nomination because her views are “way to the right of the American people.”
“Just about everything that America believes and stands for when it comes to issues like health care and labor rights and LGBTQ rights and women’s rights, Judge Barrett stands against all of that,” Schumer said.
Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris tweeted that Barrett and Republicans “intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe.”
Christian conservatives and pro-life activists, meanwhile, staunchly support Barrett’s nomination.
“We have confidence that she will fairly apply the law and constitution as written, which includes protecting the most vulnerable in our nation: our unborn children,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, told Fox News.
“Amy Coney Barrett certainly has the support of pro-life Americans who know, perhaps better than anyone else, the danger of activist judges.”
During the 2017 hearings, Barrett affirmed her faith, but stressed “my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear on the discharge of my duties as a judge.”
“I’m sure every nominee before you would have personal beliefs about that precedent and many others,” she said. “But all nominees are united in their belief that what they think about a precedent should not bear on how they will decide cases.”
Though there is no guarantee Barrett would rule in favor of overturning Roe vs. Wade, she has called abortion “always immoral” and twice voted in favor of restrictions on abortions while on the 7th Circuit Court. She also opposed the Affordable Care Act’s birth control mandate, calling it “a grave violation of religious freedom.”
“Her religious convictions are pro-life, and she lives those convictions,” U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz told the New York Times. “The question of what we believe as a religious matter has nothing to do with what we believe a written document says.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said Barrett is the “perfect combination of brilliant jurist and a woman who brings the argument to the court that is potentially the contrary to the views of the sitting women justices.”
Jenna Ellis, the senior legal adviser to President’s Trump’s campaign, told CBN that it’s the government’s obligation to “protect religious freedom and human life at every stage,” and says Barrett will do that.
“This isn’t about Amy Coney Barrett applying her faith to the law, it’s about applying the law correctly without activism,” she said. “Roe v. Wade can and should be overturned because it was wrongly decided, and a conservative majority has the power and duty to do so.”
Christian pastors all over the country praised Barrett’s nomination, with Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, calling it a “great day for American jurisprudence and for every American who cares about the future of our nation’s highest court and particularly the sanctity of human life.”
Jason Yates, CEO of My Faith Votes, said Barrett holds a proven track record to “uphold God-given unalienable rights as protected in our Constitution, including freedom of religion, the right to live out one’s faith in the public square, and sanctity of human life.”
With all that is at stake, Barrett may face even more intense and volatile scrutiny than Kavanaugh. Noted author, TV-star and religious leader Phil Robertson believes the attacks on her will be “senseless, faithless, heartless and ruthless.”
“They’re already gearing up for an assault on the nominee’s faith, character, values and family,” Robertson wrote on social media. “They’re gearing up for an attack on God.”
But many say that’s just more confirmation that President Trump has made the right choice.
“When tested, she faced a lot of tough questions and unfair questions, so she knows what to expect,” Glenn said.
Dr. James Dobson, founder and president of the James Dobson Family Institute, said Barrett should get a fair hearing based on her judicial merits, “not on her perceived politics or religious beliefs.”
“They should remember that Article VI of our Constitution forbids any religious test on a nominee for public service,” Dobson said.
“It is time for the judicial branch to resume its rightful place in our system of government. It should never again operate as an unchecked legislative branch, but rather as a faithful interpreter of our Constitution and laws.”